TED Talk- Dan Pink on the surprising science of motivation

Rewards are not effective. This is the point Daniel Pink is trying to convey in his TED talk (Dan). The explanation for this is people lose motivation to do something for a reward. Although incentive works in some cases, in most, it can actually do harm. Pink tells us that this finding is one of the most robust yet ignored findings. Even with multiple studies (Candle) proving rewards can harm work, many businesses still offer them for being the best. Pink explains that if more companies and businesses listened to this study, it would help our economy tremendously and help bring creative ideas into the work place. Rewards kill motivation.

                                                                    

To express his point, Dan Pink starts off with a confession. This confession draws the audience in and makes them want to listen to what he has to say. He confesses he went to law school. Although this may be off topic, Pink relates it to what he is talking about, saying he is going to make a case for what he has to say. He brings in multiple studies proving his case and visual aid to enhance it. The listener could tell Pink was very passionate about what he was preaching, especially around eight minutes into the video. Dan was relating what he was talking about to every person, saying how they could apply it to their own life. This made the audience want to listen because it was a topic that they could to relate to themselves. Dan was personable, passionate and informative, so those techniques made his presentation work.

The most important thing to take out of this video is humans are motivated more by themselves than they are reward. With a reward, humans can actually do a worse job at the task assigned. This discovery can relate to anyone, anywhere in the world. Like in school, some children get rewarded for getting good grades. I don’t expect anything in return for doing well in school because doing well only affects me. I work hard for myself, and my parents support that.  They don’t say we will give you twenty dollars per A you get; if they did I don’t think I would take school as seriously. I would treat school more like an optional job and look for the easiest way to get the reward. I am self-directed in school, and that is my drive. Businesses around the world can learn from this. Dan made a great example when he talked about companies like Atlassian and Google, which give their employees freedom in the workplace. This freedom has helped develop new ideas and new software, that just giving out a bonus would not. Another company that works like this is Pixar (Pixar). Pixar describes itself as a “Unique down-to-earth atmosphere cultivated by an enthusiastic, tireless, yet super fun group that is diverse in background and talent”(Pixar).  Although Pixar may not produce groundbreaking software that can help the world, it gives its employees freedom and self-expression in the workplace (Alder). Any Pixar employee can pitch an idea for a movie. These employees can develop on these ideas during work or on their own time. Every Pixar employee loves what they do and that is why they are hired. This company gives creative freedom and that is why it is such a fun place to work and every movie produced there has been a hit. All of the employees at these three companies are self-motivated, and that is why they are so successful. The rest of the world could take a hint, and that is the point Dan Pink is making. Self-motivation is the most productive.

Inside Pixar (Art) and Google (Life)

Works Cited:

Art, In. "A Rare Look Inside Pixar Studios." Open Culture. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. <http://www.openculture.com/2011/02/a_rare_look_inside_pixar_studios.html>.

Adler, Shawn. "Pulling Back The Curtain At Pixar's Studios, Where 'Story Is King' - MTV Movie News| MTV." New Music Videos, Reality TV Shows, Celebrity News, Top Stories | MTV. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. <http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1544882/pulling-back-curtain-at-pixars-studios.jhtml>.

"Candle Problem." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Candle_Problem>.

"Dan Pink on the Surprising Science of Motivation | Video on TED.com." TED: Ideas worth Spreading. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. <http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/dan_pink_on_motivation.html>.

"Life in the Googleplex - Photo Essays - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. <http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1947844,00.html>.

"Pixar Jobs." Pixar Animation Studios. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. <http://www.pixar.com/companyinfo/jobs/index.html>.